The final pyre goes up in flames, engulfing the body shrouded in the center. Embers drift to the clear night sky as if carrying our beloved friend to the stars. The Basecamp soldiers stand in silence, their arms clasped behind their backs and heads bowed. Kyron tosses the torch into the kindle at the bottom of the fire and takes a step back. The flames flicker bright in his onyx eyes, a sharp contrast to the violent storm brewing in his soul. Terro and Ulric step forward and to flank him, loyal guards keeping watch over their friend and king.

They say nothing. No goodbyes. No words about how Greer will be missed. They stand as silent sentinels ensuring she makes it to her final destination. Kyron takes a knee, and I follow suit with the rest of the soldiers. Together, we pound our fists to our hearts, representing the pain we feel at her loss. The salute also reminds us that we still live. With each heartbeat, we can honor her memory by living our lives to the fullest.

Kyron stands, and with his gaze focused straight ahead, he slips through the crowd. The pain in the center of my chest is enough to have me rubbing my sternum. I want to chase after him, to hold him and tell him everything will be all right. But it's not true, not right now, not when his heart is still bleeding. He needs a moment to sit in the brokenness before he starts to reassemble himself in a way that doesn't include Greer in his every day.

"I'm sorry I wasn't faster," Ashavee says.

I glance up at her and the admire how the light dances over her face. Her sorrow makes every sharp line harsher, but she holds such compassion under her edges. She possesses the kind of beauty that is amplified by what's on the inside. Ashavee is beautiful through and through.

Gripping her arm and giving a squeeze, I say, "Greer knew what she was doing. She made a vow to our people, to Kyron. She wouldn't want you to feel guilty because she fulfilled that promise."

Ashavee wraps her fingers around the lime green stone hanging from her neck. She clenches it as if she is torn my its existence. It is a gift to protect her people, yet it was used for such destruction. "I hope the new treaty between Pliris and Allaji honors her sacrifice."

I lower my head in reverence and say, "It does, Your Majesty."

She scoffs at the formality, and I understand the sentiment. I spent my entire life preparing to become a queen, she was bestowed the honor unexpectedly. We hadn't even left the battlefield in the heart of Stigian when the shifters prostrated before her. Not one of them challenged the position freely given to her. How could they when she was the link to stopping a bloody war and solving the issues behind their hunger?

The relationship she had formed with Kyron and me was the answer to the Allaji people's greatest dilemmas. We could work together to end the abhorrent acts that lead us to this war, and supply the resources need to replant their barren land. Every Allaji person would benefit from our union as allies. The five kingdoms would prosper because of it.

"Once I've personally seen to the care of each Cyffred in Allaji and they are well enough to travel, I will give them safe passage home."

I fight back the tears threatening to spill down my face. This never needed to happen. One bad ruler can bring such devastation, and one good ruler can begin to right every wrong of the past. If only the Allaji would have originally chosen the latter to be their king months ago.

"Thank you," I say as Terro and Ulric join us. Each of them looking a little worse for wear. They don their military uniforms and stoic expressions, hiding the sadness that is no doubt consuming them.

Ulric wraps his arm around Ashavee's waist, and they share a smile that is like balm for my weary soul. If Ashavee alone wasn't proof of the peace that can exist between our kingdoms, their budding relationship is. They seem to have embraced their differences, and dare I say it, enjoy them.

"I'd like to oversee the task of bringing the Cyffred home," Ulric says.

It shouldn't surprise me that Ulric would face those wretched fields and the beings who abused him if it meant helping our people. When it comes to doing the right thing, he has never been one to back down. He will forever wear the stripes of his convictions across his back and would endure them again for what's right.

I glance at Terro. "And you?"

He rubs his palm along his jaw and shakes his head. "I'm needed here. Basecamp has seen a lot of changes recently and I want to remain a constant."

I grip his hand and give it a squeeze before turning back to Ulric. "And after the Cyffreds are home, what will you do then?"

He runs his hand down Ashavee's spine and looks at her with such admiration. The moment when the shifters bowed before her, he took a knee as well. I didn't feel betrayed or as if his loyalties to Pliris were any less. I understood the gesture all too well. He serves Pliris, but his heart is held by her.

"After they are free," Ulric glances up in thought, and then says, "Perhaps a promotion in rank." I lift a brow and Terro snorts a chuckle. "Emissary between Pliris and Allaji."

"That's a bold request," Ashavee says.

"Aye. And a job I have a knack for. I did get ya to admit that you think I'm handsome."

"Does it count if you annoy them into submission?" Terro playfully asks.

It is nice to see their banter, even if it is laced with the hurt of loss.

Ashavee crosses her arms and pretends to ignore them, but I catch the quick glance she sends Ulric's way with the slight uptick of her lips.

"We'll see about the promotion, but it's a good idea that you be there for the release. The Cyffreds will need a face they trust to get them through it," I say.

Ulric pulls me into a hug. "Thank you, Elle."

"Take it easy on the teasing. Ashavee has a hard road ahead of her and will need all the support she can get."

He gives me a nod that says he is up for the challenge and takes the Allaji queen's hand.

I watch them walk away before wrapping my arms around my waist and turning back to Terro. "Are you sure you want to stay here?"

It's not so much that I doubt his love for this place. Basecamp is his home. I just worry that the constant reminders of Greer might be hard on him. Will he have a reprieve from those memories of her death that are sure to haunt us all? I'd hate for him to buckle under that sadness because he can't escape it. Then again, being at Basecamp has a way of strengthening one in ways they never thought possible.

He scans the burning pyres and the soldiers gathered in groups around the field. "There is still work to be done with the integration of the Stigian warriors into our ranks. Not to mention that they've lost three of the best generals this army has ever seen. Like I said, I want to remain a constant for them, try my best to hold it all together."

I drape my arm over his shoulders and say, "Just remember that there is always a royal guard uniform with your name on it, if you want it."

Terro pats my hip and we let each other go. "I will, Elle."

A young soldier walks up to us. He lowers his red-rimmed eyes and bows to me. "My sympathies for you lost, Your Majesty."

I open my mouth to correct him but think better of it. He is clearly struggling with everything going on. "You have my sympathies as well."

"Thank you," he says before turning to Terro. "Can I have a minute of your time, Lieutenant Commander?"

Terro looks to me and I lift my chin, gesturing that he should go. This is what he wants to be here for, I'm not going to hold him back from that.

He walks away with the soldier, and I blow out a long breath and stare in the direction Kyron went. Maybe I shouldn't have let him leave by himself. I'm suddenly feeling very lonely. I can only imagine how he feels.

"You should go after him."

I spin around and on impulse my arms encircle Leif's neck. "Hey you," I say sobbing into his coat.

"Hey you. I'm sorry I'm late. Wel and I got your mother and sisters settled in Lucent and then headed straight here."

"I don't care that you're late. All that matters is that you are here."

He grips my shoulders and pulls me back. The concern on his face is not one I've seen often. Nothing bad ever seems to affect him. The world could be freezing over, and he would wear a smile and tell everyone it will be all right. Not this time. This moment hits differently for both of us.

"You should go after him, Elle. He needs you right now."

"I know. I'll go." I snake my arms around his waist and press my cheek to his heart. "Just let me hang on to my best friend for a second longer."

He rests his chin on the top of my head. "Yeah, I can do that."

Leif has been my rock—my constant in an ever-changing world. He knows every one of my fears and dreams. Nothing has ever been too big to face if we did it together. We could rule kingdoms or save the king's general from enemy hands. Together, we are unstoppable, and I don't want to face everything that is to come without him backing me up.

"You're not going anywhere, are you?" I ask, my voice muffled against his chest.

"No. I'm right where I want to be." He pulls me back from him and gives me a once-over. "I'm here for as long as you need me, and even then, I might hang around."

I stand on my toes and kiss his cheek. "Thank you for always being there for me. Even when my plans seem a little off the wall."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I'd do anything for you, Elle."

"And I'd do the same for you."

"I know." He gives me a firm smack on the backside. "Now, go find your parah. He needs you."

I rub my ass and shoot him a glare as I start for the line of trees that border Basecamp. When I disappear into them, the death and sorrow found on the training field dissipates a little. The moon is nowhere to be seen in the clear sky. Branches hang low like knotted fingers that I hold to keep from stumbling on the rocks. The babbling of running water draws me closer to the stream's edge, beckoning me to follow it. If I walk against the current, I know I'll find him.

I climb a hill built of flat stones to discover my king sitting at the top. His arms rest on his bent knees and his gaze focuses on the neon light show ahead. He is more at home here than he ever has been sitting on a throne.

I ease down beside him, leaving an inch of space between us. I'm not sure what he needs right now, but I'm here when he is ready to tell me. We sit in silence as hues of pink, green, and turquoise blend together in the sky. The aurora is beautiful and peaceful, quite the contradiction to the emotions that are clashing inside of us.

"I feel a little lost right now," Kyron says staring ahead.

"That's all right, I am too." I bump my shoulder into his. "But I can take the lead for a while, and I won't let you wander too far."

He turns and takes me in for what feels like the first time since Greer died. I don't hold it against him. It wasn't that long ago that I couldn't see past Micah's death. Somedays it's still all I think about.

"You're remarkable. Do you know that? I don't think there is anything you're not capable of," he says, his tone thick with conviction.

I stretch my arms out behind me, propping myself up on them. "Mountain climbing, cliff diving, and I'm not the girl you go to if you need fruit from the highest branch of a tree."

He laughs and that brief warm sound is the salve that begins repairing the broken pieces in both of us. I'm addicted to its healing power. If I could, I'd make it so he would laugh again and again until everything hurtful and bad slips away and we are left with nothing but burning cheeks and aching stomachs.

"You would find a way to do all those things if your people needed you to do them, Raelle."

"Maybe. But I would do them without a second thought if you asked me to. No mountain would be too high. I'd conquer it just to see you smile."

He closes the space I left between us, his hip nestling against mine. "And what if all I wanted was to be your husband?"

I follow his line of sight to his fingers. They have been fidgeting with something since before I sat down. He stops moving them and a simple gold ring sits between his thumb and index finger. One delicate loop of metal has the power to stop my heart. It's not like we've never talked about it before, but to see that he holds a symbol of that intention... This isn't daydreams of a future. It is tangible, as close as my outstretched hand.

"I've sat out here contemplating two things," Kyron says. "One, the time we have with the people we love the most is never enough. I don't want to waste a second I have with you, Raelle. At our end, I want to know I shared enough laughs and explored every dark corner of who we are together. We should have no regrets, not about us." He cradles my face in his hands and brushes away the tears below my eyes. "Two, my love for you has grown to outshine everything else in my life, even tragedies like this. When darkness threatens to pull me under and hold me captive, I have a light that leads me home. Greer gave me the gift of continuing to live in that light. Her sacrifice deserves to be celebrated, and I'd like to start by becoming your husband."

"My husband," I whisper.

"Yours. Always yours, princess."

I kiss him, my answer embedded in the sweet touch of our lips. All the trials we have faced, the loss we are still enduring, could have cracked us straight down the middle. We still stand because we wanted to hold the other up and keep us together. We will be thrown into the fire again and again. Sometimes we will bend from the heat, come close to our breaking point. But our chances of defeating ruin are greater when we are together.

We press our foreheads together and breathe each other in, basking in the bond that is solely ours. It doesn't matter that the Statera chose us for one another, that our souls fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Our hearts found their reason to beat all on their own. Our minds connected with their equal. Kyron and I came together of our own free will and we have chosen to never let the other go.

"Yes, Kyron LeFur, I will always be yours."